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A World History of Tax Rebellions is an exhaustive reference source for over 4,300 years of riots, rebellions, protests, and war triggered by abusive taxation and tax collecting systems around the world. Each of the chronologically arranged entries focuses on a specific historical event, analyzing its roots, and socio-economic context. Readers can visit familiar uprisings like the Boston Tea Party, while discovering lesser-known events such as the Mauritanian Rebellion in fourth-century Africa, the Marriage Aid Protest in medieval France, and the 1765 Rebellion of the Barrios in Ecuador. A separate A-to-Z biographical section introduces revolt leaders, activists, and other personalities that make up the full, and often painful, history of taxation.

The author of this resource has written other reference works, mainly on U.S. history. In the current book, we learn about the long, historical struggle against taxes over many civilizations and across centuries, from measures taken to relieve oppressive taxes in Babylonia around 2350 B.C.E. to a protest on Ascension Island in 2002. Tax revolt has been part of larger economic, political, social, and religious issues in every nation.
After a 10-page chronological list of rebellions over the centuries (nearly every year in the past few centuries), the author provides an 8-page cross-cultural summary of terms and strategies, such as underground economy. Subsequent chapters cover the "Ancient World"; "Early Middle Ages, A.D. 365-1199"; "Late Middle Ages, 1200-1500"; "Renaissance to Enlightenment, 1500-1700"; "Eighteenth Century"; "Nineteenth Century"; and "Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries." The format for each chapter is the same: chronological entries on revolts ranging from a paragraph to a few pages, with running dates in the margins, and a bibliographic reference for each entry. The work concludes with brief biographies, a list of tax-revolt events arranged by empire or nation, a bibliography, and an accurate 34-page double-column index.
This work appears to be unique with its wide span of nations and times. It will be valuable in academic libraries, especially where there is a business school, as well as larger public libraries.

David F. Burg

David F. Burg has taught humanities for over twenty years at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY. He is the author of several books on American history including Chicago's White City of 1893, The Encyclopedia of Student and Youth Movements, and The American Revolution: An Eyewitness History.